156 



ing at present, commencing at the top, and proceeding- to the 

 bottom. As, in this case, that which formerly was the bottom, 

 now becomes the margin, it is evident that the order also of the 

 pages will be the same as that generally adopted by the Orientals. 

 This is strongly corroborative of the prior reasoning ; since we 

 find, that the same hypothesis, which affords a solution of the origin 

 of the oriental mode of writing from right to left, accounts also 

 for what, to a European, must appear, at best, an inverted order 

 of paging. 



With respect to the cause of the change from the perpendicular 

 to the horizontal row, an " ingenious friend, to whom I communi- 

 cated my thoughts on tiiis subject, has suggested, that it may per- 

 haps have originated ia the gi'eat inconvenience fovnid in tlie use of 

 the former, when writing on long parchments. Indeed the danger 

 of defacing the lower characters of the rows already formed, while 

 writing new characters in the upper part of the succeeding rows, 

 would soon shew the necessity of adopting the horizontal row, and 

 consequently of altering the position of the parchment. 



The ^»rf oip^jJoi' method was probably then introduced to prevent 

 the inconvenience and loss of time experienced in changing the 

 position of the hand, and transferring it at once from the outer to the 

 inner margin. So long, indeed, as the perpendicular rows continu- 

 ed in use, it is not likely, that the (Sus-^txpti^ov would be introduced, 

 for the very reason already assigned as having led to the introduc- 

 tion of the horizontal row : namely, the dread of defacing the lower 

 characters ; which, as the /3ss-jo(p;;3o» would, in that case, have been 

 down and up, it would have been almost impossible to avoid, when- 

 ever the characters were formed by a colouring liquid. The intro- 

 duction, however, of the liorizontal row having led to that of the 

 ^itr^o(ptiioii, the much greater ease experienced iu the alternate rows, 



